Sae's first act as Akechi's counsel was to set up a bail hearing. She met him at the courthouse and he was transferred into her custody by a bailiff.
"How are you holding up?" she asked, observing some fresh bruises on his face.
He shrugged. "Turns out cops don't like it when you make them look like idiots. Who knew?"
Sae knew, of course, but she had turned a blind eye because she didn't want to draw attention to herself. She felt ashamed of her inaction, but there was no time to dwell on it. They were summoned inside and took their places on the defendant's side of the room. Sae looked around. She had never been on this side before; it was an entirely new perspective.
The judge entered and took his seat at the dais. "What are you doing over there, Niijima-san?" he asked.
Sae stood and bowed respectfully. "Representing my client, Your Honor."
"Is that so? Have you been let go from the prosecutor's office?"
Ignoring that jab, Sae said simply, "No, Your Honor. I've resigned. I'm going into private practice."
"If this boy has any assets, the police will need to look into it," said the judge sharply. "I assume you're not being paid in blood money?"
"Of course not, Your Honor. My work here is pro bono, and you'll find that Akechi-san has been most cooperative."
"He ought to be, considering the amount of money the state has invested in him so far."
The judge waved a file folder that Sae assumed contained records of Akechi's years in state-run homes and foster care. She'd read the file cover to cover, so she knew he hadn't been any particular burden; just a child with needs like any other. Just like she and Makoto would have been, if their father had died a few years earlier.
"Opposing counsel seems to be running late," said Sae, glancing up at the clock.
The judge waved her off. "Never mind that," he grunted. "You're the one who dropped this case in some young man's lap."
"Yes, Your Honor."
The prosecutor finally showed up, nearly fifteen minutes late, exchanged a few words with the judge, then sat down to review his notes. The judge waited an additional five minutes without complaint while the tardy prosecutor prepared.
"Is this going well or badly?" Akechi leaned over to ask sotto voce.
"I used to be on friendly terms with Judge Kubo, so...it's not exactly auspicious."
He looked down despondently at his hands. "I told you this was going to be a disaster."
She frowned at him, tapping her hand on the table to get his attention. "If you don't believe I can represent you, then we should part ways right here and now. Just say the word."
Startled, he looked up. "N-no, that's not what I meant. Of course I believe in you, Sae-san."
"I'm going to give it my all in here. I expect the same from you. Clear?"
"Crystal."
He sat up a little straighter in his chair and folded his hands. Making an effort. Sae nodded in satisfaction. She couldn't very well defend someone who wasn't going to defend himself.
The prosecutor began, "The prisoner, Goro Akechi, has been accused of a number of violent crimes. He was, in fact, prepared to sign confessions regarding all of them just yesterday."
"Oh? So why didn't he?" asked the judge.
"Because she told him to stop speaking to us," said the prosecutor. "Furthermore, the brief which Niijima-san herself prepared, alleges that he holds some sort of...superpower...allowing him to commit these particular crimes. The prosecutor's office believes that he is a threat to the community and should be denied bail."
Sae turned to the judge. "Your Honor, I refute the claim that Akechi-san is a threat. In fact, he no longer has the abilities he once did."
"Then how do you explain the current crop of psychotic breakdowns?" the prosecutor challenged.
"He could hardly have caused those from inside a jail cell. If you intend to charge him with those incidents, be my guest...but I wouldn't."
"Watch your tone, counselor," the judge warned. "Niijima-san, I see from your brief that Akechi-san is a minor with no living arrangements or other means of support. Where is he going to live?"
"With me, Your Honor," said Sae.
The prosecutor leered. "With you? Are the rumors true, then…?"
Sae didn't even deign to look at him as she answered calmly, "There's no hidden agenda. My sister is on her way to college and I have a spare room. I'll see to it he continues his education while he awaits trial."
"I see you're the one offering to post bail as well, Niijima-san," said the judge. "Are you sure you aren't a bit...personally involved here?"
Sae nodded. "Indeed, Your Honor. I worked with Akechi-san for dozens if not hundreds of hours. I knew him as well as anyone, yet...I couldn't help him. I was in the best position to see the trouble he was getting into and I failed utterly. So you see, this is very personal."
Akechi looked up at her, genuinely touched. She set a hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"You couldn't help him? He's a contract killer!" said the prosecutor.
"He's seventeen years old," countered Sae. "The alleged killings were directed by Masayoshi Shido. Absent Shido's influence, Akechi-san is perfectly harmless."
"I get it," said the prosecutor, adopting a reasonable, patient tone. "The kid had us all fooled, you especially. Makes sense you wouldn't want to admit the truth." His eyes hardened. "Your client is a sociopath. I hope you aren't expecting a nice thank-you card."
Sae gazed at him levelly. "If you have any arguments not based on personal conjecture and speculation, by all means, do share. I'll refute those too."
"Speculation?" the prosecutor scoffed. "What else are you offering?"
"She's asked the court to consider the prisoner's age and the influence of his criminal associates," said Judge Kubo. "Do you have any facts to suggest he'd be dangerous even in Niijima-san's custody?"
Rattled, the prosecutor shuffled through his notes.
"You aren't going to find anything in the brief I wrote," Sae couldn't resist saying.
The prosecutor narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "If you quit your job, and this penniless student is your only client...how can you provide yourself a home, much less support both of you?"
Sae blinked. She'd barrelled ahead so fast with this plan that she hadn't thought it all the way through. She had some savings, but the truth was, it was pretty much a leap of faith.
Beside her, Akechi cleared his throat. "If I may...I can get a job and contribute my income. I worked and kept my grades high last year as well."
"You were a fraud," the prosecutor spat.
"I still got paid," said Akechi blandly.
"Enough," said Judge Kubo. "Very well, Niijima-san. I'll set bail, and it'll be up to you to take responsibility for this boy. Your finances are your own problem."
"If he's going to be released, the prosecutor's office demands an ankle monitor," said the prosecutor. "Consider the magnitude of the crimes. We can't make a mistake here."
Sae opened her mouth to protest that GPS monitoring was for convicted criminals, not those awaiting trial, but the judge was too fast.
"Seems like a reasonable compromise. So ordered," said the judge, cutting off Sae's argument. "This hearing is adjourned."
As the judge exited the room, the prosecutor sidled up to the table and leaned down over Sae. "We always knew there was something going on with you and that kid," he sneered. "Must have been humiliating, boning a high schooler to get ahead in your career…."
"What?" Akechi growled, curling his hand into a fist, but the prosecutor wasn't even looking at him.
Sae just laughed in the prosecutor's face. "Hilarious. Maybe if you invested as much thought in your cases as you do in excuses for your poor performance, you wouldn't be eating my leftovers."
Red-faced, the prosecutor growled, "I'm going to tell everyone about this," and stalked away.
"Sae-san...what was that about? Were there really such rumors?" asked Akechi.
"Ah, I'm sorry. It's not about you. Anytime I stepped on some man's pride, they liked to take me down a peg. This is about the laziest possible way to do it, so you can imagine how many people I've supposedly slept with. Every man in this building...most of the women...probably some pets…."
"A woman of some accomplishment, I see."
She snapped a sharp nod. "And don't you forget it."
After some adventures in bureaucracy, Sae and Akechi took the subway from the courthouse to her apartment. On the way, they picked up a take-out dinner and a six-pack.
Settled at the dinner table, Sae popped the top off one of the beers.
"Do I get one of those?" Akechi asked hopefully.
She gave him a bottle of soda and a very stern look. He held up his hands and smiled innocently.
"All right, all right. Just kidding. Dare I ask what happened to your car?"
"You know what happened to it. I put it up as collateral for your bail."
"I thought so. Sae-san...I hope you don't find this question insulting. Actually, I'm asking because I have a lot of respect for you. What is it you're hoping to gain from this?"
"You mean, do I expect repayment or is this nothing more than an ego trip?"
"I, ah, wouldn't have put it so bluntly, but..."
"Akechi-kun...I put everything I have on the line, all in. I want you to see - by my actions, not just my words - that I believe in you."
Bewildered, he burst out, "But you know perfectly well that I'm guilty! There's not going to be a turnabout, there's no saving the day, no rescue."
"Of course not. That doesn't mean there's nothing to build a case on. It definitely doesn't mean there's nothing to believe in. By the way," she added with a smile, "now you know why I never took you out for the good sushi. It wasn't because I didn't like you. So, are we in this together?"
"Together...as equals. I appreciate that."
Sae took a long swig and thought for a moment. "You know, thinking back, I wish I'd relied on Makoto more. I tried to give her a normal childhood when it never could have been…. You'll tell me if I'm overcorrecting, won't you?"
Akechi shook his head. "I don't want to be treated like a child. I'd much rather you overestimated me than the opposite."
"Glad to hear it. Because I can't do it alone."
In a sparkling laboratory, a man in a lab coat spun around in a high-backed chair, chewing on a pen. He had kicked off his sandals and they were lying unheeded nearby. There was a gleaming bank of monitors displaying various scenes, but he was ignoring them, holding a notebook and staring into the middle distance.
On one side of the room was a door, the kind of thick security door found in prisons and mental hospitals. On the other side of the room, which held an examination table and some shelves filled with medical supplies, a teenage boy in a striped blue-black jumpsuit and black mask paced sullenly.
"You know, most people imagine jails as kinda grimy and depressing," said the boy, frowning at the shining white floors and soothing blue walls.
The man in the white coat looked over at him. "Why?"
"Because that's what prisons are like. It's the truth."
"Sure, but if I'm going to spend my time somewhere, why not make it pleasant?"
"Why spend your time in a prison at all if you have any other options?" said the boy.
A troubled look passed over the doctor's face. "You know perfectly well this isn't a prison."
The boy cocked his head to one side. "So you could leave anytime you want then?"
"Maybe this is where I'm meant to be," said the man, shrugging.
The boy narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, maybe. You're pretty good at brainwashing. That's what you're doing here, isn't it, Dr. Maruki?"
"No...at least, I don't think so. What do you call what you did to these people, Akechi-kun?"
"I unchained their hearts," said Akechi, with a grin that bared his teeth.
"Yet it left them lifeless husks. Doesn't seem very free to me. My procedure should avoid that. You could help me if you wanted to," suggested Maruki.
"Help you? I hate you and everything you stand for," growled Akechi.
Maruki smiled. "That's a shame, because I'm rather fond of you."
Akechi's eyes flicked up to the monitors. "Oh, is that what that's all about?"
On one of the monitors, Akechi - in his school uniform - sprawled out on a leather couch somewhere, surrounded by textbooks. A light-haired woman sat on the other side of the couch, watching TV. Screen Akechi raised his head from his books and the woman looked over at him and seemed to be answering a question.
"Just part of my research," said Maruki. "Who's the woman? Your benefactor?"
Akechi scoffed. "Sae Niijima? She's not my benefactor. She doesn't even know me. All she knows is that vapid pile of designer clothes up there."
"I suppose," said Maruki thoughtfully, chewing on the pen again. "Do you think she wouldn't like you if she met you?"
"Who cares?" snapped Akechi. "Let that ambulatory clip-on tie have that life. Let him live a lie if he wants to. I don't give a shit. It has nothing to do with me."
With that, the black-masked Akechi turned his back on Maruki and stomped away toward the opposite wall. There was a vent there that led outside, but Maruki had never tried to use it.
The doctor turned back to the bank of monitors and started jotting down notes. He had some ideas about what had happened to Akechi, but nothing solid - there was so much about the Metaverse that was unknown. It was exciting to think about, to imagine the possibilities of tapping directly into the unconscious mind.
True, he had tried once before to use the Metaverse to better mankind, and that hadn't gone well. But scientists learned as much from their failures as their successes. On the wall, Maruki had a poster of Thomas Edison with a quote attributed to the famous inventor: "I have not failed. I have just found ten thousand ways that won't work."
Takuto Maruki had already filled a dozen notebooks with his failures. Perhaps he was due for a success.